


Letting Loose

by earthtoali



Series: Hints of Andraste's Grace [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 17:35:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8111248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earthtoali/pseuds/earthtoali
Summary: Josephine has planned the perfect night in an attempt to draw Leliana out of the dark.





	

Every once in awhile, Josephine made it her mission to visit her old friend and remove her from the smelly, feather filled cave that she called the rookery. She found that the more Leliana spent in this place, the more cold her friend became. Over the last few days, the spymaster and been exceptionally cruel, sentencing three contacts to death simply for not providing the information needed, even though it was clear that they had none to give. Josephine had been able to stop the first two but unfortunately her regular "niceness before knives, Leliana" routine had gotten old and could not save the third. 

So on this evening, Josephine found herself climbing the stairs to the rookery, cordially greeting every person she met along the way, and even stopping for a few minutes to discuss the new book Dorian had found on Antiva. As she neared the top, an agent suddenly flew by her, nearly knocking her off her feet and forcing her to balance herself on the wall. As she composed herself, she noticed a new layer of dirt that had stuck to the golden sleeves of her dress. She would have to talk to Leliana about this. 

She found her friend leaning over her desk, hands spread wide as she switched from scanning the map in front of her and reading a report of to the side. Her hood was drawn low over her head, leaving only a small red strand of hair hanging over her eyes. In this new attire, Josephine could see how visitors could find her frightening. Even when she had first reunited with Leliana, Josephine shivered upon the site of her friend. She had certainly changed. But once in awhile, she could still find the old Leliana hidden under that hood. The same girl who dragged her through the streets of Orlais, all those years ago, stopping to lush over every pair of shoes in site, singing all the while. 

"What is it, Josie?" the spymaster asked, her eyes still running over the contents on her desk, not moving from her position. 

Josephine swallowed nervously. "You seem to be spending much more time up here. I just thought that it had been awhile since we talked. I remember you used to love our talks."

Leliana rose from the desk and turned to face the ambassador. The change in lighting casting a dark shadow across her face, turning her normally sky blue eyes to black. "You know I have work, Josie. I cannot afford to waste time on simple drabble anymore. Lives are at stake."

Josephine was hurt by those words but still found the courage to say, "And so will yours if you continue to lock yourself up here. You hardly eat, you hardly sleep. And with every new report you seem to become increasingly lifeless. I am afraid that if I don't get you out of here soon, I will lose my friend for good. So will you please come with me?"

Leliana sighed and thought for a moment. She glanced at the papers on her desk. They could wait. The next runner wouldn't be back from the Hinterlands until tomorrow morning. It wouldn't hurt to take one hour off.

"Fine," she spoke at last. "Where are we going?"

Josephine jumped and clapped in delight, her smile stretching all the way across her face. "I have already set up just the most perfect night! I have reserved the entire inn for us. Well you, me, the Inquisitor, Dorian, Varric, Cullen, Blackwall, Sera, Bull and his Chargers, Solas, Cassandra, Cole, and even Vivienne might show up, but only at the possibility to see you in your prime again she said. I must say you were much more agreeable as a player of the Game. So charming and delightful. Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself! Let's go!"

And with that, Josephine grabbed Leliana's hand and ran, dragging her friend down the stairs, through the great hall, across the courtyard, and into the inn where the rest of the group was already waiting. 

"RED!" Bull shouted as the two entered. "We've been waiting all night for you! Here have a drink." 

The group was seated around multiple tables in the corner, clearly having already gone through a few rounds. 

Bull was seated in his usual chair, his feet up on the table having a conversation with Blackwall and the Inquisitor about the latest dragon they had battled. The Chargers sat in a circle behind him, playing drinking games and laughing every time one of them accidentally fell of their chair. 

Dorian and Vivienne were seated next to him, discussing the newest fashion Orlesian fashion trends that they had seen at the Winter Palace. 

Solas and Cole were in the corner, observing the situation. Cole seemed to be frantic over the others, wanting so badly to intervene in the whole situation to avoid any unwanted hurt. Solas just stood next to him quietly, sipping his drink and patting the boy on the back whenever he seemed especially frustrated.

Meanwhile, Sera was doubled over on the ground, laughing over Cullen's lack of attire, as Varric smirked on the other side, shuffling his deck of cards. 

"I've told you many times, Curly. Never bet something you're not ready to lose." 

Cullen rubbed his neck, his cheeks bright red. "Maybe just one more round...?" 

Cassandra agreed, "I think I may have finally gotten the hang of it this time!"

Josephine turned to her friend, noting the disgust on her face. "Come on! It's okay to let loose once in awhile!" 

Leliana sighed and grudgingly joined the group, Bull immediately shoving a mysterious drink into her hand, encouraging her to drink. It was only for an hour. 

Hours later, the clock in the bar struck three in the morning, and Leliana was completely gone. At some point in the night, her hood had been removed and her bright red hair had been let loose. Her braid was almost completely undone and the rest a mess. She laughed so hard at something Sera had said that she had fallen back in her chair and was now lying on the floor, unable to get up, her eyes filled with tears of laughter. 

At that point, Josephine decided it was time to put Leliana to bed. She had a fun night and there was no reason to ruin it by causing a mess. She motioned to Bull to help her pick up the spymaster and carry her to her room. She waved goodnight to the group and hurried after Bull. 

After he had laid her on her bed, he nodded to Josephine and walked out of the room. "Great night, boss! Let's do it again soon!" he said as he wobbled down the stairs, swerving back and forth every few steps. 

Josephine sighed and returned to her friend who was now happily curled up on the mattress, her hands supporting her head as she slept soundly, a slight smile on her face. She took a blanket that was thrown over the back of a nearby chair and drew it around Leliana's shoulders. Her hands lingered on her shoulders. 

The night had been great, better than planned, but she was still troubled by the spymaster's recent behavior. She worried that this night was only a simple diversion, nothing more, and that her friend would return to the harsh personality that she had grown into come morning. There was something bothering Leliana and she had to find out what it was. Ever since the Blight, a wall had kept Josephine out of Leliana's head, out of her life. That wall would have to come down eventually if she wanted to save her friend. She would not let her suffer any longer.


End file.
